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United States Patent | 5,570,114 |
Fowler | October 29, 1996 |
A control panel includes controllers in the form of push buttons supported by an elastomeric switch pad over an electroluminescent lamp panel. The electroluminescent panel includes circuits formed by chargeable areas which register with optical indicia carried by the buttons and transmitted through openings in the elastomeric layer. The elastomeric layer includes pads which resiliently urge the buttons to a rest position at which contacts carried by the elastomeric pad are spaced apart from terminal conductors on a printed wiring board. A peripheral wall of the pad formed with the elastomeric layer is supported by a tactile membrane which permits depression of the button to engage the contact against the terminal conductors of the printed wiring board, and returning the button to the rest position. The control panel controls that operate in response to audio system operating modes, for example, the controls related to a cassette player, can be identified by different color or intensity of light depending on the drive circuits applied to the chargeable areas formed on the electroluminescent lamp panel.
Inventors: | Fowler; James H. (Novi, MI) |
Assignee: | Ford Motor Company (Dearborn, MI) |
Appl. No.: | 397314 |
Filed: | March 2, 1995 |
Current U.S. Class: | 345/173; 116/DIG.35; 200/5A; 345/45 |
Intern'l Class: | G09G 003/02 |
Field of Search: | 345/33,45,172,173,175 200/5 A,292,310,313,317 340/815.4,815.48,815.55 116/DIG. 35,279,202 |
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